Ladies Choice
by jremme
Summary: Angela asks Booth on a date, but something's off. Set in season 1. A tiny bit of Angela/Booth, but hints at Brennan/Booth later...you'll have to read to find out! Trust me. Rated T to be safe, but prolly more on the K side. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yes, you did read the summary correctly. There is some Angela/Booth in here. Trust me. That's all I can say. This takes place sometime in season 1 and just ignore Tessa; I did. She doesn't exist in this fic. I'm sorry if you're reading Coed on the Quad or Seven Deadly. I'm going through writer's block on those in the worst way. As for P&P, if anyone's reading that, I needed a bit of a break from it, just to write something different. I'll be updating it at some point this week, probably towards the end of it. Enjoy!**

**Ladies Choice**

Ok, enough was enough. She was going to do it. She was going to ask him out. She'd wanted to practically from the moment she saw him, but had tried to be a good friend and let Brennan have first dibs. Problem was, it had been months and her friend had yet to make a move. It didn't look like she was going to, and, in fact, she had stated time and again that she was not interested in him. So, that meant he was up for grabs, right? Right.

Just to be on the safe side, she decided to make her intentions known. Give Brennan one last chance to tell her not to.

"Sweetie, can I talk to you for a minute?" The brunette lifted her head from the paperwork on her desk and made a 'come in' gesture with one hand. Angela turned the handle of the door, entered, and sat down.

"So I made a decision today," she began.

"What did you decide?" came the polite response, eyes still focused on the stack in front of her. With a grin and a roll of her eyes, Angela's fingers found her friend's chin and drew it up so they were eye to eye.

"I decided…to ask Booth out," she said resolutely, scanning the face in front of her for a hidden response.

"Oh," was the reply. "On a date?"

"Yea! So, what do you think?"

She would have been completely assured of Brennan's lack of interest in Booth had it not been for the brief clouding of her eyes and the barely audible swallow she heard before the anthropologist responded. And then there was the response itself.

"Good. I think it's good." Not exactly a Brennan-esque answer. Angela inwardly wrestled on whether she should go ahead with this at all. She'd given Brennan plenty of time to put the moves on Booth. You snooze, you lose, she reasoned with herself. So why was she feeling guilty? Ugh. She shouldn't feel guilty at all. Brennan was still talking. Angela focused back in on her words.

"He's coming in later today to go over our latest case. You can ask him then."

One final chance, and then she was through feeling guilty. "Are you sure you're ok with this?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Getting the verbal confirmation she required, and ignoring the facial evidence that told another story entirely, Angela changed the subject. "So, case wrapped up then?"

"Yes, it was a rather difficult one, thanks to the condition of the victim's skull, if you will recall…"

That afternoon, she could see him enter the lab from her position on the platform. She'd decided to catch him as he was leaving, and so allowed him to make his way to Brennan's office with merely a friendly wave and a 'hi'. Hodgins was onto her, however, narrowing his eyes in her direction.

"What are you up to?"

She smiled coyly. "What makes you think I'm up to something?"

"We've been working together for how long? I know. What's going on?"

"Fine. Why don't I just broadcast it over the intercom system? I am going to ask Booth out."

"Like on a date?"

"Yes. A date. Dinner, possibly a movie, and maybe even some action. A date."

"I know what a date is," he said defensively. "Brennan's not gonna like it."

"Actually, she's ok with it." Well, maybe not _ok_ ok, but she'd had ample opportunity to speak up. All she'd had to say was, 'Angela, please don't ask Booth out. I have feelings for him I haven't admitted yet, and I can't stand the thought of him with another woman. He's mine.' Well, maybe not those exact words, but something along those lines. And she hadn't heard anything of the sort. And until she did, Booth was available. Facial expressions and clouded eyes didn't count.

"Really? She said she was cool with it?"

"She did."

At that moment, her target emerged and headed for the door. "If you'll excuse me Jack," she said smoothly and glided down the stairs after him.

"Hey Booth! Wait up a minute!" He turned to her, surprise on his face. Angela stopped in front of him and took a deep breath, letting a bright smile touch her lips.

"I was wondering if you were free tonight."

Confusion on his face now. "Yea, why?"

"Do you wanna go out, maybe grab dinner?"

"Like a date?"

What was with these people? Was it that foreign a concept? "Yes, a date."

A pause. Then, "Yea, sure, that sounds great. Pick you up at seven?"

Her smile widened at the way he'd taken control of the situation. "Seven it is."

"See you then." He shot her a smile that made her weak in the knees before going through the doors and down the sidewalk. Angela let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She turned and trotted to Brennan's office to share the good news.

That night, at a quarter to seven, Angela studied her reflection in the mirror. Clothes…perfect. Make-up…perfect. Hair…well, perfect. Before she knew it, seven had come and gone. Not the best way to start a date. She was reminded of her senior prom date, who had been over half an hour late. The minutes ticked by, and finally, she heard a knock on the door. He was standing on the other side, looking sheepish and mumbling something about traffic. He met her eyes and gave her a grin.

"You look great."

She returned the smile. "So do you. Got anyplace in mind for tonight?" she asked, stepping through her doorway and locking the door behind her. "Cause, if not, I know this place across town."

"Ladies choice," he replied smoothly, a hand on her shoulder. "Just tell me where to go."

"Oh, so you're driving?" she asked with a laugh.

"Naturally."

"Whatever happened to ladies choice? Maybe I _choose_ to drive," she replied, her smile telling him she wasn't serious.

Despite his initial tardiness, the rest of their date went very well. They talked about things that Booth happily deemed 'normal', meaning no squinty talk. Angela found it a relief as well, as she had thought he'd be talking shop the entire evening. She got enough of work talk at work. He was very easy to talk with, much to her delight, and she hoped he was thinking the same thing about her. When conversation did stray to work, she silently kept track of how many times he mentioned Brennan. It was quite a few; enough to give her something to think about.

After dinner, he drove her home and before she knew it, they were standing outside her door, her hand on the doorknob, his in his pockets.

"I had a really nice time," she said, meeting his eyes and looking for any indication that this wasn't going to end here and now.

"Me too." He looked uneasy, unsure about what to do next. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn he _was_ her prom date, Ricky Stevens, the boy who had no clue what to do with a girl at the end of a date.

"Wanna do it again sometime?" she asked, taking pity on him.

"Sure, I'd like that." Seeming to get over the initial hesitation, he took over. "How about Wednesday?"

"Wednesday's good for me," she said with a smile and inched closer to him, her hand leaving the doorknob. Their eyes locked and he closed the distance between them, cupping her face and pressing his lips to hers. Angela eagerly returned the kiss, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck, keeping him close. They broke apart slowly, neither breaking eye contact.

"Do you wanna come in?" she asked, leaving it up to him, knowing that her desire was evident in her voice.

He cleared his throat. "I'd better not." He made a show of checking his watch. "It's late."

Angela nodded. "Yes, it is. So, I'll see you Wednesday?"

"Definitely." Her heart sped up as he leaned down to her and brushed her lips once with his before shooting her a smile and taking his leave.

Once inside, Angela crashed on the couch, lights still off and thought. The evening had been wonderful, the kiss breathtaking, the promise of a second date exciting, but something was off. She thought back to their conversation. He had mentioned Brennan often, always in the context of their casework, but still, her name was there, which meant she was on his mind. She didn't blame him; it didn't irritate her in the slightest. And she didn't blame him for not taking the next step with her friend either. Brennan wasn't the easiest person for guys to ask out.

She'd try to get a better lead on Brennan's true feelings tomorrow. She knew she'd thought to herself that she wouldn't give up her blossoming relationship with Booth unless she heard Brennan admit her feelings, but she had an inkling that hell would freeze over first. Plus, her intuition told her that Booth felt something for Brennan, although it appeared he hadn't admitted it to himself yet.

Fully aware of what she would be giving up, Angela debated for awhile. Booth was a great guy; that was certain. But if she pursued this with him, she had a feeling that his heart wouldn't be in it all the way. He needed to admit his feelings as much as Brennan did. It was her choice, and as much as it sucked, she knew she couldn't stand in their way. But, she could help them along, give them a little nudge and hope they would go the rest of the way on their own. Resolved, she headed down the hall to her bedroom, a little smile gracing her face.

**A/N: Ok, rough outline states this fic will have one other part, so stay tuned for part two!! Thanks for reading!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's part two! Please enjoy!**

The next day, Tuesday, Angela strode into Brennan's office and sat down across from her desk. Brennan looked up, meant Angela's eyes and immediately knew what she wanted her to ask.

"How did it go?"

Angela playfully feigned ignorance, wanting Brennan to say the words. "How did what go?"

"Your…," there was a pause, as though the word was stuck in her throat, "date."

"Oh my god! It was wonderful. Probably the best date I've ever had." Ok, maybe she was laying it on a little thick, but it was necessary. She wasn't lying, after all. It _had _been a great date.

She watched Brennan's face carefully. She looked thoughtful, but guarded, as though afraid of revealing too much. Angela then launched into a narrative of the evening, starting with his arriving late and the conversation at dinner.

When she got to the part where they discussed work, Brennan's face took on an expression of curiousness. Angela grinned inwardly. She wanted to ask if he'd mentioned her, but couldn't decide how to without sounding needy.

Throwing the anthropologist a bone, Angela threw in, "We talked about you."

"In what context?" Her eyes were narrowed with suspicion.

"Nothing bad! He talked about the case and your name came up a few times." More than that, really.

"Oh."

She then told about their good-bye in front of her apartment, hoping Brennan would give into her inner woman and gossip a little, throwing the scientist out the window for awhile.

"He…kissed you?" she asked, trying, but failing, to hide the hint of dejection in her voice. Angela felt for her friend in that moment, but hurting her a bit was all part of the plan, so she'd know what she was missing, and make the right choice when the time came to make it.

"Yea, and let me tell you, the man can kiss! He has the softest lips…" she ended this on a little sigh, and watched Brennan for facial cues. Angela caught the slight tilt of her head and the quick nibble on the lower lip. "In fact," she went on. "I'm surprised he refused my invite to come in."

Abruptly, Brennan's head straightened. "He what?"

"_Aha, gotcha_," Angela thought at the strained enthusiasm in her friend's voice. On a superficial level, it looked as though she was merely curious about the whole date, indulging Angela's wish to share all the details. To a careful observer, such as the artist herself, Brennan was hanging on every word, waging a battle with herself and her emotions. Part of Brennan, Angela knew, was happy that she was happy, but the part that she kept trying to tamp down couldn't help but feel a little distraught over the fact that Angela was dating him, and despite every verbal indication she gave, wanted him for herself.

"I invited him to come in after we kissed, and he refused. Said it was getting late. Ah, well, I do love a challenge. Maybe after we go out tomorrow night, I can get him to come in, and hopefully, he'll be making me coffee Thursday morning." She grinned and waggled her eyebrows at Brennan. "If you know what I mean."

Brennan nodded, deep in thought. "I do know what you mean, but I don't want you to get your hopes up."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you said he was late. Perhaps he was having second thoughts." The scientist was gone. She was now dealing with Brennan the woman, who latched on to possibilities without any proof, anything that hinted at a lack of genuine interest on his part. Something that could give her some hope that this wouldn't last, despite her wanting the best for her friend.

"He said something about traffic."

"That's another possibility. There's also the fact that he did refuse your invitation."

"It _was _getting late."

"Yes, but it is also equally plausible that someone else was on his mind and he didn't want to take advantage of you like that."

Oh, this was working out too perfectly. "Like who?" Angela asked innocently.

"I don't know. I saw him talking with an attractive female agent several days ago when I stopped by his office. There was some flirting taking place between them." She shrugged.

"Uh…huh." Not quite the answer she'd hoped for. She'd aiming more for a 'maybe someone he works closely with and feels close to' type of answer, something that hinted at herself.

"You said you were going out again?"

"Yep, tomorrow night. Wish me luck!"

"Luck has nothing to do with it." She stopped at Angela's raised brow. "Good luck Ange." She said it solemnly, not quite managing to pull off sincere.

They were interrupted from further conversation by a soft knock at the door. Both women's heads snapped up at the intrusion, and Angela gleefully caught the slight blush in Brennan's cheeks as she motioned Booth in.

"Hey!" the artist greeted. "We were just talking about you." The blush reappeared and Angela wondered if Booth had caught it.

"That can't be good," he said with a grin that could have been aimed at either one of them. Then he focused on Angela. "You weren't in your office. I wanted to see if you wanted to go for lunch."

Perfect. She could launch the next step in her plan. "That sounds great actually." She glanced at Brennan, who looked a bit put out, but was attempting to hide it by paper shuffling, indicating that she had a lot of work to do. Angela imagined she had thought she would get the lunch invitation. After all, the partners had eaten lunch together many times.

"Bones, you ok?" Apparently, her heart was on her sleeve for all to see. Angela saw her friend steel herself and clear her throat.

"I'm fine. I just have all this work to do. Have a good lunch." And with that, the conversation was closed.

"I'll bring you back something, k sweetie?" Angela said kindly, feeling sorry for her friend, despite the projected outcome of her plan.

"Thanks Ange."

Once they had eaten, Angela began, reaching over and taking his hand. "I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow night."

"What about it?"

"Well, look, the thing is, you're great, and I like you. A lot. And I hope you like me too."

"I sense a 'but' coming."

"But, I believe that, while we could be good for each other, there are people out there who would be better. So, I think we should just be friends, and maybe pursue something with those people."

He was silent, meeting her gaze and absorbing her words. Finally, he nodded knowingly. "I think I know what you're getting at."

Angela sighed in relief.

"Hodgins," he finished.

A look of pure confusion took over her face. "Excuse me?"

"The person who would be better for you; it's Hodgins."

"Why do you say that?" Hodgins? Of all people.

"You guys just seem to mesh." Great. He noticed she and Hodgins _meshed_ but he couldn't see that the same applied to him and Brennan. Men.

She played along. "You got me!"

He smiled then. "I thought so. I agree with you though. We should be friends. Truth is, I like you too Angela, but I don't want to be in a relationship with you knowing that your heart wouldn't be in it, and that I'm keeping you from Hodgins. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."

Angela's face remained bemused throughout his little speech. His words mirrored her thoughts from the previous night. He was as blind as Brennan. On more points than one. Hodgins? Really?

"Do you still wanna go out tomorrow night? As friends?" he asked her.

Time for part three. "I'd love to; I really would. But, I feel a cold coming on, and I should just stay in."

His face fell. "I already made reservations."

"Well, how about taking someone else."

"Like who?"

Oh, he really was being adorably idiotic. Unfortunately, it was wearing thin. She'd have to be direct. "How about Brennan?"

"Bones?" He asked it incredulously, as if she had never occurred to him.

"Well, sure. You spend a lot of time with her anyway. She's the obvious choice."

"_And you know you want to_," she thought.

"Yea. Ok. I'll ask Bones." He pulled out his cell phone. Angela smiled inwardly, glad she would get to witness this.

"Hey Bones. Look, Angela and I decided to just stay friends, so I was wondering if you were free for dinner tomorrow night. Maybe a movie too….Yea, like a date; I mean if you want it to be. Do you want me to pick you up? Ok, you can pick me up…reservations are at seven…6:30 sounds good. I'll see you then. Bye."

He hung up and smiled at Angela, who returned it. "I have a date with Bones. A _date_." He seemed surprised by this; as though he hadn't known until now that he even wanted a date with her. Angela didn't doubt that that was the case.

"You two have fun," she said, not realizing she was still holding his hand until she gave it a squeeze.

"Thanks Angela. You go get Hodgins."

Yeah, right. Like that would happen. He dropped her off at the lab and she strode in, her eyes unconsciously finding Hodgins working on the platform. Her and Hodgins, huh? Maybe Booth was onto something. After all, if you were too close to a situation sometimes you couldn't see what was right in front of you. Booth and Brennan were a perfect example of that.

Then his head came up, seeing her across the room. "Hey Angela! Come here! My fly eggs are hatching! We got maggots!" Angela shook her head. Nah, Booth was _way_ off.

**A/N: Hope you liked it!! Thanks much for reading. I really appreciate people taking a chance with this and all the wonderful responses.**


End file.
